SHAKING Synonyms: 144 Similar and Opposite Words

shaking 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of shaking next

as in trembling

marked by or given to small uncontrollable bodily movements suffered a shaking chill during his bout with the flu

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shaking

2 of 3

noun

as in twitching

a series of slight movements by a body back and forth or from side to side gave the bottle of salad dressing a good shaking

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as in escape

the act or a means of getting or keeping away from something undesirable condemned the government's shaking of its overseas responsibilities

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shaking

3 of 3

verb

present participle of shake

as in jerking

to make a series of small irregular or violent movements the bus rattled and shook as it barreled down a rutted road

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as in avoiding

to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery we shook our pursuers by cutting through the abandoned lot

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of shaking

Noun

Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches. —

Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 16 May 2026 The team also found that certain near-surface features, such as softer rock layers above where the stopping phase happens, can further enhance it, leading to more severe shaking of the ground at the surface. —

Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2026

Verb

The other shows the two world leaders shaking hands. —

CBS News, 16 May 2026 Rinse under cold water 1 minute, shaking to ensure a thorough rinse. —

Midwest Living, 15 May 2026 Dollander was shaking his right arm and hand during the inning. —

Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 14 May 2026 Bourgeois-Tacquet’s elevator pitch — unforeseen circumstances lead Gabrielle, a workaholic 55-year-old surgeon, to question her life choices — isn’t exactly earth-shaking, and the film lacks the propulsive spontaneity that made Anaïs in Love such an off-kilter delight. —

Jon Frosch, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026 Here’s a round-up of who’s moving and shaking in the art trade this week. —

Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 13 May 2026 Then, adopting a very wide stance, perhaps for stability, the deer begins lightly shaking its head, as if disoriented from all the spinning. —

Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026 The landlord smiled, shaking his head. —

Literary Hub, 11 May 2026 About 180,000 people experienced light to strong shaking, according to the USGS. —

Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaking

Noun

All the trembling, as Kimbangu touched the sick, alarmed European settlers and reassured the plantation workers who trekked to Nkamba in search of healing.

— Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
At first this change of scale vivifies the butterfly—its brief stillness, the angle of its wings, its trembling—while freezing everything else, including the novel’s action.

— Ben Lerner, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026